The Prince's Side Of The Story
by ambisinistrous-and-asinine
Summary: Severus Snape had a tough life and every Potterhead knows it. Time to show it, time to read it. It's from his point of view, it's his life and it's his version of the tale. It's the Prince's side of the story.
1. Chapter 1

Hey there!

So this is a different type of fanfic, this is basically just the story of Harry Potter, but it's from Severus Snape's point of view. It's his entire life and after-life story. THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY VERY LONG FANFIC, I'M ESTIMATING AT CLOSE TO 100 CHAPTERS, but it will be broken up into parts, and hopefully I will update it regularly.

DISCLAIMER: ANYTHING YOU RECOGNISE, I DO NOT OWN, PRETTY MUCH.

WARNINGS: THERE ARE MENTIONS (and maybe more) OF SELF-HARM, SUICIDE AND SEX. THE LAST PART OF THE FIC INCLUDES CHRISTIANITY, AND IT'S SET IN HEAVEN. Not sure if I need to say that, but better to be safe than sorry.

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW.

**Enjoy! :)**

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**_PART ONE_**

**Chapter 1 – Christmas Comes Early**

The warm summer breeze blew through the open window on Spinner's End. Hogwarts was near. Only two years now. Then he'd finally be away from his constantly bickering parents. That thought, and the beautiful red ponytail of the little girl down the street; these were the only things keeping nine-year-old Severus Snape's feet on the ground.

He had been told by his mother all the wonderful and enchanting things he would find at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The moving portraits and ghosts of famous witches and wizards; the scrumptious feasts with every kind of food imaginable; the classes of course – Potions (one of his mother's favourites), Charms, Herbology, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts – he'd heard about them all. He'd also heard enough of the arguments going on between his parents. Not being able to stand it anymore, Severus rose from his seat at his bedroom window and proceeded downstairs and out of the house.

Deciding on his usual hide-out, Severus set off to the local park. Boys from his school, including 6th grader, Nick Berjovik rode past on their bikes and threw rubbish and wrappers at Severus. He was used to being treated this way, and so ignored them and continued to the park. Sitting down behind his favourite tree, Severus was glad to see there wasn't anyone else sharing the space. A stray cat prowled around the bushes to his left, a plain field of grass ahead and the empty playground to his right. There was a sudden pain on this head and an acorn rolled on to the ground beside him. Looking up, he found himself staring into the eyes of a red-furred squirrel. Severus had always liked the colour red, especially on the top of a certain girl's head, of whom he did not know the name.

He had only seen her once, but even in that brief sighting, Severus knew there was something that kept him running away from home like he had considered doing so often. Severus simply sat at the foot of the tree and he had almost fallen asleep when he heard noises coming from behind him. Voices. He listened.

"Tuney, no! I don't want to play that game again!" It was a beautiful voice, like that of an angel.

"But why on earth not? I'll even let you be the doggy!" This voice, on the other hand, sounded whiny, like a dying seal.

Severus poked his head out from behind the tree and rested his chin in his hand. By the sound of voices, Severus had been expecting two girls. He had not, however, even hoped that it would be _those _two girls. It was her, the one with the angel's voice. The one he always thought about, the beautiful one, with red hair. And her sister. Severus's chin slipped off his hand.

"Find then, I'm going home," said the one called Tuney.

"No you are not allowed, Mummy said." The Angel had spoken.

"I don't care, Lily, you can make your own way home," said Tuney.

_ Lily_. That was the Angel's name. Lily. And what a beautiful name it was. _Much better than a stupid name like Severus, _he thought.

Then the Angel, Lily, spoke again, "Petunia if you go, I will tell Mummy and you will be in big trouble." Severus was mesmerised by her voice. It was like music, beautiful music, to his ears. He peered around the tree even further and almost toppled over; her eyes. They were, without a doubt, the most beautiful things Severus had ever seen. They shone like emeralds, brilliantly green and shaped like almonds.

_ Wow._

And that hair. So full of colour and life. He had to get to know her; she would be his first friend. But it all ended too soon. Suddenly, the Angel and her sister were running, away and out of the park, away from Severus. He felt like one of the only happy things in his life was leaving him. But that was alright, because he knew her name now. So tomorrow when he saw her again, he would be able to talk to her and, hopefully, make her like him. Hopefully.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: ANYTHING YOU RECOGNISE, I DO NOT OWN, PRETTY MUCH.

WARNINGS: THERE ARE MENTIONS (and maybe more) OF SELF-HARM, SUICIDE AND SEX. THE LAST PART OF THE FIC INCLUDES CHRISTIANITY, AND IT'S SET IN HEAVEN. Not sure if I need to say that, but better to be safe than sorry.

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**Chapter 2 – Beaten**

It was now Halloween and Severus was as usual, hiding away in his room. It was his only escape from the cruel Muggle world. Severus hadn't any friends, nor a caring family. For some people, being an only child would mean getting all your parents' attention and love, and being spoilt rotten. But for Severus, it was the complete opposite. Severus was ignored, forgotten, not well fed and sometimes beaten. And outside the house was no better. When Severus tried to escape his unwelcoming home by taking refuge outside or at the park, older, sometimes even younger children made fun of him, teased and bullied him.

Halloween usually meant children in costumes trick-or-treating, but no one ever came to Severus's house anymore. Not after the rumour going around about his abusive father. Not so much a rumour, but more of a fact.

His dad was a Muggle and his mum a witch, and his father didn't mind that, but when Severus started showing signs of also being magic, his father totally lost it and hit him on the arm, really hard. That was three years ago. Since then, he'd been hit a few times, and even had his wrist broken once. _It wasn't my fault Nick Berjovik put those pictures of Kelly Thason in my pocket; and yet __**I'm **__then one who gets pushed down the stairs into a door. _That was the first time Severus considered running away from home, but coincidentally, the next day was the first time he saw Angel Lily.

It was at the park, eight months and 23 days ago. He was being his usual, isolated self when the Angel and her family came to have a lunch picnic. He hadn't heard her speak, but her laugh made him smile, and Severus couldn't remember that last time he smiled. He wanted to become her friend, maybe she was a witch and would come to Hogwarts with him. But even on the off chance that she was, it wasn't like he could ask her, because her parents were Muggles. Not that he had the guts to talk to her. No. But Severus couldn't help but dream.

He knew a lot about Hogwarts, and was certain he was going to be Sorted into Slytherin House, and hoped he would have a friend by his second year – another unlikely thing he hoped for.

"Severus!" his mother's voice bellowed up the stairs. He hadn't done anything wrong, so wondered what she was calling him for. He bounded downstairs and met his mother in the living room.

If a stranger were to enter the Snape house, they would think it was owned by a Goth; grey walls, black table and chairs, no colour at all. The cabinets were black, the kitchen bench – black. The white tiles on the floor contrasted the rest of the house, and the couch was also black. Eileen Prince-Snape was busy cooking (without magic), while her husband was relaxing in front of the television, which Severus was never allowed to watch.

"Mother?" he asked her.

Flustered, she answered, "Severus, can you run down to the shops and buy me some milk?"

"The shops?!" he exclaimed, "But it takes ten minutes to _drive _there." No way was he walking.

"Your father asked," she said simply, "He wants dessert."

Severus's eyes widened; his father asked, which would mean he'd have to go. "Fine." He took the money from his mother's outstretched hand and left the house.

_Stupid father, I __**hate **__him!_

Severus often wished that something would happen to his father. That one day he would return from a day at the park to find the absence of his father, and then learn that he was never coming back; another one of Severus's unlikely dreams. After about five minutes of walking, Severus encountered Nick Berjovik and his cronies.

"Alright, Snapey? Having a rough day? Daddy being mean to you?" Berjovik made a sarcastic sympathetic face. Severus kept walking but the gang followed. Berjovik's right hand man, Dylan Graser kept throwing rude and nasty comments in Severus's face. When they didn't respond to 'go away' and 'leave me alone', something inside Severus snapped and he turned on his heels and with all his might and strength, punched Berjovik in the face, causing him to fall backward into Graser and the pair of them ended up on the ground.

Seeing the looks on their faces, Severus ran for it. Panting, he turned down an unknown street and, not knowing where Berjovik's gang was, he continued down the street and around a corner when he was met by a huge force that collided with his chest, knocking him backwards.

Looking to see what had hit him, Severus found Angel Lily's sister Petunia, also on the ground in front of him. She was wearing a witch costume, which looked nothing like a real witch. What with her warts, tall pointy hat and hooked nose, Petunia had no resemblance to a real witch. But of course, how would she know that?

"Watch where you're going!" she complained.

"Sorry, I––" but Severus stopped mid-sentence; Angel Lily was in sight. He was determined to talk to her this time. But Petunia dragged her away before he even got a chance to stand up.

"Come on, Lily, let's go to this house," she said.

Lily's costume was actually quite the opposite of her; she was dressed and a devil. Red horns that strangely didn't clash with her hair, a red pitchfork in her right hand, a bag half-filled with candy in her other, and a long black cloak that made her look stunning. He couldn't help but stare, and his heart raced when she looked at him.

Petunia walked in front of the Angel, blocking his view, but when she moved, green locked with black and the corners of her mouth curved upwards, making Severus's stomach squirm. Then the Angel was gone. Yes another chance to befriend Lily had slipped away. Severus heard bicycle bells from behind him, so he ran the rest of the way to the shops. Once he had bought the milk, Severus stashed the change in his secret hiding place behind the shopping centre. It was always deserted, so no one ever found him there. He then began back home.

Christmas was coming, and Severus was only hoping for two things; to talk to Angel Lily, and a pair of gloves. Tobias Snape had a rather annoying habit of checking for fingerprints on his wife's wand, which Severus longed to use. He had once, which resulted in another beating.

He did not bump into Berjovik's gang at all, for which he was glad. That feeling was put to a sudden end when Severus arrived home, finding his father, his scared looking mother, Nick Berjovik and what appeared to be Mr Berjovik. Berjovik had an evil smirk on his face and Severus knew he was in huge trouble.

"Severus Snape," his father addressed him, "I have been told by Michael Berjovik that you got into a fight with his son." His voice was stern as he glared at his own son. Then Nick Berjovik went into an extremely exaggerated description of their encounter, Severus's dad said he would deal with him, and the Berjovik's left. Severus's father closed the front door, turned on his heel and snatched Severus up by his collar.

"You are in big trouble young man," he said, stressing each word, "Eileen, pass me that metal spoon there." His wife most reluctantly obliged, and Severus closed his eyes, waiting for the pain.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: ANYTHING YOU RECOGNISE, I DO NOT OWN, PRETTY MUCH.

WARNINGS: THERE ARE MENTIONS (and maybe more) OF SELF-HARM, SUICIDE AND SEX.

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Magic**

Christmas came and went – Severus's mother did end up buying him a pair of black gloves, for which he was very grateful – and Severus's birthday came and went – neither his mother nor his father acknowledged the occasion, as was the norm. Months passed and Severus didn't know if his life could get any more monotonous. He visited the park every day, and occasionally saw Angel Lily there; that was enough of a birthday present to last three years.

Spring wore on, and early in May, what began as a completely ordinary week, turned out to be Severus's favourite week ever. He had taken a walk to the park as normal and was relaxing behind his usual tree to the sound of happily chirping birds when he heard a voice of music. Angel Lily had arrived.

Severus peeked around the tree to watch her. Lily and Petunia were playing on the playground; Lily on the slide and Petunia on the swing. Lily slid down and landed hard on the ground with a thud.

"Ow!" she yelped, "I do wish the bottom of this slide were cushioned." She climbed back up the ladder and slid down again. This time, as she neared the bottom of the slide, a big purple cushion appeared and she landed on top of it. Petunia leaped off the swing and rushed to Lily's side, examining the spot from where the cushion had just disappeared. Lily, too, was standing and Petunia turned to her.

"How'd you do that?" she demanded.

"I didn't do anything!" Lily replied.

"Don't lie! I saw that pillow appear and break your fall!" Petunia yelled at her sister.

"No! I didn't do that, Tuney, and I do not know how that happened! I just asked for it, and it came!"

_She asked for it and it came, _Severus thought, _SHE'S A WITCH! _Severus was overjoyed and almost cried out; Lily would be joining him at Hogwarts! He looked back at the bickering sisters.

"You liar!" Petunia screamed, "You're a liar and a freak! A freak!"

Lily burst into tears, her shoulders shaking as she cried, while Petunia showed little pity towards her younger sister. Severus couldn't stand to see her so upset, and so emerged from behind this tree into the girls' view. Lily looked up when Petunia gasped. She stared straight into Severus's eyes and he smiled hopefully. Lily stopped crying and glared at Petunia, before cautiously approaching Severus. Shocked, Petunia ran off shouting, "You're both a couple of freaks!" as she left. Both Lily and Severus stared after her, and then the Angel spoke.

"Hi," she said, "My name is Lily. You live down the road from here don't you?"

"Uh… ye– yeah," Severus stuttered. _Pull yourself together, _he thought. "I'm Severus, Severus Snape."

"Lily Evans," she extended her arm and Severus shook her hand. _I am actually touching her, _he thought, disbelievingly. Lily smiled at him and spoke again, "Don't even worry about Petunia. She has been acting quite strange these past few weeks. It's me. I have also been acting odd, doing odd things. I don't know what it is, though," she sighed.

"I'd think it's quite obvious," said Severus.

"What's obvious?" Lily asked.

"Of course," Severus mumbled to himself, "How would you know, you're a Muggle-born."

"I'm a what?"

"You're… you are a… a witch," Severus said. Lily's mouth formed a perfect 'O'.

"That is not a very nice thing to say to someone," she said, and turned to leave.

"No, wait!" Severus ran after her, "I'm not trying to be mean." She turned to face him. "It's the truth. You are a witch, and I'm a wizard. I'm not lying!" he added, seeing the look of disbelief on Lily's face.

"Think about it," he continued, "You can do things, can't you Lily. Things other children can't. Like just then, what did you just do on the slide?" Lily stared at him for a moment before responding.

"I wished for the bottom of the slide to be cushioned, and a cushion appeared there."

Severus raised his eyebrows, "See. You can do magic! Here," he picked up a leaf from the ground and threw it into the air. The leaf literally took flight and flew over to Lily, who caught the leaf and gasped.

"Woah," she breathed. Lily gracefully threw the leaf back into the air towards Severus and it flapped back over to him.

"See!" he said again. "You're magic, Lily!"

She smiled, "I really am?"

Severus smiled back at her, "Yeah."

Lily's eyes widened and they shone, and she said, "So tell me about wizards, Severus!" His stomach squirmed when she said his name.

"Okay. Well we attend a school of magic, called Hogwarts," he began, "And we'll go there for seven years…"

Severus told Lily all about the classes, getting wands, broomsticks, the ghosts and portraits and feasts. She was intrigued by all the magical components that made up Hogwarts. They talked for over an hour about the magical world before the setting sun told Lily she should return home.

"Bye, Severus," she said, "Can we meet up again tomorrow?"

_Oh my gosh, yes, yes of course!_

"Uh, sure," Severus replied.

"Cool." Lily beamed and ran off home. As cheesy as it sounded, Severus was entranced by her beauty. He was so glad that she accepted him despite his unusual and off-putting appearance. For the first time since he could remember, Severus was looking forward to tomorrow. He practically skipped home, not at all bothered by Berjovik's gang. Tomorrow was going to be a good day. Severus was sure of it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – Oh My Lily**

Severus awoke early the next morning and upon remembering his meeting with Angel Lily, he literally sprung from his bed and was ready and out the door within three minutes. When he arrived at the park, Lily was already there, waiting for him.

"Early riser?" Severus asked her. Lily spun around and a wide smile spread across her face.

"Yeah," she laughed softly. Lily seemed sort of shy, and her cheeks were slightly pink. An awkward silence fell upon the 10-year-olds, and after several minutes of staring at his feet, Severus broke it:

"So…" he said, "What do you want to know about wizards?" Lily looked up and went into a long rant about magic and Hogwarts, throwing question after question at Severus, who was desperately trying to answer them all. Suddenly, she stopped talking, and after a short pause, said, "It is real isn't it? It's not just a joke?" Severus smiled.

"It's real for us," he said, and the Angel's eyes sparkled with happiness and life as the sun rose above them. She beamed at him, then continued talking about Hogwarts, and asking him questions about the Ministry, Dumbledore, owl post, and Dementors.

"They're sort of like the government, so there's a Minister of Magic, and loads of Departments, like the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and the Department of Mysteries."

"Albus Dumbledore is Headmaster of Hogwarts. Some people say he's 100 years old!"

"You can get an owl as your pet if you want, or a toad or cat, and when you write letters to your family, the owls deliver them."

"What do you want to know about Dementors for?"

"Well," Lily said sheepishly, "I have been doing magic outside of school, like yesterday and–"

"Lily!" Severus exclaimed, "Don't be silly! The Ministry won't give you a Dementor's kiss for underage magic. And besides, you're only ten. Once we get wands is when they have a problem with it," he explained.

"Oh, good," Lily said, looking thoroughly relieved. A few days of this question-answering went by, and near the end of the week, Lily asked, "Hey, Severus?"

"Hmm?"

"Do, uh," she hesitated, "Do you want to, er, come to my house, one day?" She looked up at him sweetly. Severus blinked. _Visit?_

"Uh, visit?" he asked.

"Well, you don't have to. I… I was just wondering––"

"No, no! I mean, yes! Yes, I'd love to come, yes." He smiled.

"Okay, cool! So, uh, when would you like to visit?" she asked.

_As often as possible._

"Whenever you'd like," he said.

"How about today?"

_Yes, yes and then every other day from then._

"Sure," said Severus. He took her outstretched hand, and together they literally skipped to Lily's house (well Lily skipped and Severus jogged to keep up with her).

Lily's house was like a mansion compared to Severus's. The biggest difference was the amount of colour in her house. Their couches were a deep blue that sat in front of a flat-screen TV, and the smell of cookies wafted from in the kitchen. They went upstairs and stopped at a door labelled Lily. She pushed the door open and ran and flopped on her light purple bed.

_God, she is so adorable._

The walls of her room were lilac, and she had cream coloured curtains. Soft, purple material hanging from the roof were draped around the head of her bed, creating a curtain of lilac around her, letting some light through the gaps in the fabric, dotting her face with sunlight. A photo of a younger Lily and Petunia hung from the wall, surrounded by cut-outs of Lily with her family and friends. On a cream bookshelf sat a Spelling Bee trophy and three dolls dressed in black robes. A pretty green frock hung from the door handle of Lily's wardrobe and a purple patterned rug lay in the centre of the room.

Lily gestured to the spot on the bed beside her, and Severus sat down, still looking at the green dress. Lily noticed him staring and said, "Oh, I'm going to a family dinner tonight; that is what I'm wearing."

"It's pretty," said Severus without thinking.

"You think?" she replied, "I'll try it on!"

She took the dress and ran out of the room. Severus looked around the Angel's room again and saw an open notebook lying face up on her bedside table, a blue pen with its lid off sitting on top. He leaned over and in Lily's fancy handwriting, was written;

**_and he's a lovely boy, a little shy and no sense of fashion, but lovely all the same. I really like him, and Mama said he should visit sometime. I shall ask him tomorrow. Yes, I will, and he can meet Tuney properly. Although, I don't think they will get along. Scratch that thought. Well it's getting late and I must sleep soon. I hope Severus is having a nice night._**

And underneath there was a fancy signature,

**_Lily~_**

Severus marvelled at the fact that Lily actually liked him, thought he was 'lovely', even. The bedroom door opened and the Angel stepped into the room. She looked exquisite. Her hair brilliantly complimented the colours in the dress, which brought out the colours in her eyes.

_Oh my Lily, _he found himself thinking. _What? What happened to 'oh my god'?_

She smiled at Severus, and he smiled back.

"Well?" she asked him, "What do you think?"

"I think…" _I think she looks like an angel but I can't really say that now, can I? _"You look wonderful."

Her eyes lit up and she grinned widely. "Thanks, Sev!" she said, running over and hugging him quickly. He closed his eyes and savoured the moment.

And he realised. Gods are worshipped, gods are looked up to, gods are sought when help is needed, and gods are what bring life. Severus had inserted Lily's name into his sentence, because Lily was Severus's god.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – Mail**

Even after months of being friends, Lily hadn't once asked to come to Severus's house. He had been to her house countless times, but he guessed by the way he never liked to talk about his home or family that she decided not to bring it up anymore.

Early December, Severus and Lily were chatting about Christmas when Lily suddenly said, "Severus, I was wondering if you wanted to come to my house for Christmas dinner because I remember you saying that your father doesn't even notice when you aren't there and that you just wander the around streets, anyway so I thought maybe you wanted to have Christmas dinner with my family and I already asked my parents and they said yes."

_What. _Well, she was right; his parents wouldn't notice or care… maybe he could go? _Why not? _

"Ok," he said.

"Yay!" she shrieked and threw her arms around his shoulders. She let go and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked.

"Well," she said sheepishly, "I know my birthday is still over a month away, but I don't know if I'm going to get my letter or not," she confessed.

"Lily! Why do you always have to doubt yourself? Of course you'll get your letter."

"Are you sure?" Her emerald eyes bore into his and she looked genuinely worried.

He turned towards her and held her soft, tiny hands.

"Yes, Lily. Yes I most definitely am," he said.

She looked at him for a moment longer, before a grin that reached her ears took over her face. He smiled back.

Christmas morning brought hope and excitement for young Severus, feelings that had never before been evoked by such an event. The previous day, he had taken a stroll to the shops to find something for Lily. With every penny that he found on the sidewalk, every note lying around at home, Severus had collected a decent amount of money, enough to buy Lily a decent present. Upon finding a fancy golden chain with an 'S' pendant, he returned home and found his mother standing in the kitchen with an envelope. Severus's eyes widened. _Could it be?_

"Severus, darling, this is for you," she said, handing it to him.

He took the letter and turned it over, revealing the scarlet Hogwarts seal. He gasped, hurriedly opening the envelope and unfolding the parchment.

**_Dear Mr Snape,  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…_**

Severus practically flipped. He knew he would be going to Hogwarts, but now, holding the letter in his hand confirming it all, Severus just felt a whole lot safer and happier. He sprinted up the stairs and stashed the letter in his wardrobe.

Today he was spending the afternoon at Lily's with her family, and he wasn't sure how that was going to go. He was unsure how he would be around Petunia; they didn't really get off to a good start, what with Severus 'accidentally' dropping a branch on her. _Whoops. _And he wasn't sure if Lily's parents would like him either.

Turns out he had nothing to worry about. He arrived on time, talked with Lily's mother for a few minutes before Lily and Petunia came downstairs to join them. Lily was wearing the green dress she showed him a few months back, but this time her hair was in a high ponytail on the right side of her head, her gorgeous red curls framing the side of her face.

The evening went surprisingly well; they chatted, ate dinner (a larger meal then Severus ever had in his life: roast beef with baked potatoes and vegetables, followed by chocolate fondants with vanilla ice-cream and a fruit platter), and Severus and Lily took a walk afterwards. This was when he told her about receiving his acceptance letter. She squealed in joy and flung her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. That hug was probably the highlight of his day.

It was not until his birthday that Severus saw Lily after that day, for she and her family took a holiday over New Year. On the day of his 11th birthday, Lily wore the necklace he gave her, along with a cute purple, floral dress which Severus thought made her look very pretty. But Lily could have worn track pants and three sweaters and he still would have thought she looked beautiful.

"Happy birthday, Severus!" she shrieked when she saw him, flinging her arms around him once more. She then pulled a small, soft wrapped package out of her coat and handed it to him. "For you," she said.

As he opened it, Severus could sense that Lily was bursting to tell him something. Or maybe she was just anxious to see his reaction to his gift. It was a scarf, in Slytherin colours; green and grey. Severus and Lily had once talked about the houses at Hogwarts and Severus must have mentioned that he wanted to be Sorted into Slytherin. Lily had said she would be in Ravenclaw. Severus agreed.

"Well…?" Lily asked.

"Well, I think it's wonderful, and," he pulled it completely out of the wrapping and put it around his shoulders, "I think I'll wear it right now."

"Aw, I'm so glad you like it,' said Lily.

The two spent the rest of the day talking about Hogwarts, guessing how the professors and classes would be like, and even pretending that they were already at Hogwarts and attending classes. As the sun went down, the young witch and wizard went home and met up the next day, repeating the activities of the previous day, and they did so for the next two weeks.

On the morning of Lily's birthday, Severus arrived at the park early to surprise her, only to find her sitting by the tree already. Lily's arms were around Severus before he realised she had left the ground.

"Severus!" she squealed. "Guess what!?"

"What happened?"

Lily reached into her coat and pulled out a parchment envelope.

"I GOT MY LETTER!" she shrieked.

Severus was overjoyed and lifted Lily up, spinning her around before setting her back down.

"I knew you would," he said.

He had. He knew she was magical from the moment he laid eyes on her. Not quite in the same way as this, but magical nonetheless. Severus hoped that he and Lily would stay friends throughout their time at Hogwarts, and he was determined to make that so.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – Hogwarts**

As winter turned to spring, and summer was close, Severus and Lily went shopping for shirts and shoes. They tried on ties and black coats, pretending they were at Hogwarts and experimenting as if those were their uniforms. One week before school started and the two of them needed to go book shopping. Severus' mum dropped them off outside the Leaky Cauldron, and they made their way to the back where she said they would find Diagon Alley. But they were met with a brick wall. Severus and Lily stood there staring at the wall for a few minutes before a woman in a deep blue cloak approached them.

"Are you two trying to get to Diagon Alley?" she asked.

"Uh, yes we are," said Lily, "But we aren't sure where it is."

"Oh, you're starting your first year at Hogwarts, hmm? It's wonderful there."

She took out a stick and tapped the bricks in a pattern. The bricks began to move outwards, around each other, moving away from the centre from where they were tapped. They kept moving until they formed an archway; an archway that led Lily and Severus to Diagon Alley. They stepped inside.

It was incredible, the amount of shops and people and animals and magic was overwhelming. So much colour. People carrying owls and brooms and books and wands and robes. The shops – Ollivanders, Madame Malkin's, Florish and Blotts, the Apothecary and Eeylops Owl Emporium. And at the end of the road, Severus could see Gringotts, the wizard bank. They walked down the street past all the amazing stores, witches and wizards of all ages milling around, chatting with each other. There was a group of students crowded around a broomstick shop, admiring a broom labelled 'Cleansweap 2'. In the window of Madame Malkin's they could see black school robes, green, purple, gold and blue dress robes, a white robe for a bride and shoes for all occasions. They got to Gringotts and went inside to ask about money.

Inside there were tiny, hideous creatures waddling around with keys and bags of money. Severus and Lily couldn't help but stare as one approached them waiting at the front desk.

"Children," he was muttering under his breath. "What do you two want?"

"Uh… we were wondering," Lily stuttered, "How we could get some money?"

"Do you have a key?" the creature asked, its glare shifting between the two of them.

"Uh, no," said Severus, "We are just starting our first year at Hogwarts, and we don't have and money yet." Severus could see Lily's fingers crossed behind her back.

"Yes, well, we have a First Years Fund here for ratty children like yourselves," the creature said. "Go and talk to that goblin over there." He pointed behind him.

_Goblins, duh!_

Lily thanked the goblin a little too kindly for the way he spoke to them, and they followed the other goblin down a dark corridor to a vault labelled '1'. The goblin withdrew an old looking key from his pocket and unlocked the vault. The door opened to reveal a large pile of gold coins and brown, draw-string bags. Both children's mouths dropped. The goblin reached in and took out two pouches of gold and gave one to each of them.

They exited Gringotts and walked right into the first shop to their left – Madame Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. They spent the rest of the day trying on robes, reading books, finding their wands (Severus ended up with an 11 inch wand made of unicorn hair and mahogany, while Lily's was a willow and unicorn hair wand at 10 ¼ inches) and looking at pets. Severus decided against buying any sort of animal for fear of what his father might do to it when he brought it back for the summer. Lily, however, bought a brown barn owl which she insisted on naming Chancellor.

"Lily, you can't call him that, it sounds stupid!"

"I shall call him what I like."

"Okay, suit yourself."

Severus wished he was able to have his own pet, but he guessed he would have to settle on helping Lily in caring for her owl. For the rest of the day they browsed the remaining shops, and Lily literally had to hold Severus back as they passed Knockturn Alley. He didn't understand why they couldn't go down there, oh, but the perfect miss goody-two-shoes Lily was - of course they couldn't.

The morning of September the first, neither Lily nor Severus could contain their excitement about finally going to Hogwarts for the first time. Lily's parents offered to take Severus for which he was grateful, and Severus' mother provided them both with tickets. They arrived at King's Cross Station at 10:30am with their trolleys filled with books, quills, robes and an owl. Severus looked at his ticket.

_What?_

"Lily," he said wearily, "Um, my ticket says Platform 9 ¾."

"Don't be silly, Severus, there's no such thing," she said, taking out her ticket and examining it. "What? Platform 9 ¾? How are we supposed to find that?" she asked him.

Severus was thinking. "Why don't we just go to Platform 9 and 10, and just wait around till we find someone who looks magical and ask them?"

"Good thinking, let's go."

They steered their trolleys to the platforms. Just as they were arriving, they saw a young boy with light brown and old ratty clothes run straight at the wall between the platforms with his trolley, and disappear into the wall. Without even thinking about what he was doing, Severus made a spilt second decision, grabbed Lily's hand and ran at the wall. He opened his eyes a second later, to see a large scarlet and black train with the words 'Hogwarts Expressed' engraved on the front carriage. There were children with parents, siblings and friends, people milling around, exchanging kisses and tears, trying to board the train. Severus could almost taste the excitement and joy in the air it was so thick. At exactly 11:00am, Lily and Severus boarded the Hogwarts Express, finally starting their journey, their lives, as part of the magical world.

* * *

The train came to a stop after hours and hours of travelling. It had taken them a while, but the two of them had found an empty carriage, which they had to themselves the entire trip. Both bought candy from the lady with the trolley of sweets, and shared and rationed it so that it lasted the entire trip. Some boys came into the carriage and introduced themselves rather enthusiastically, although they mainly spoke to Lily and ignored Severus altogether. White, one of their names was… or maybe it was Black?

It was almost 11:00pm when they disembarked the Hogwarts Express. As Severus took his first step into Hogsmeade Station, a boy with glasses shoved past separating him from Lily. They met up again in front of some students who announced themselves as Prefects, and told them that all first years were to take row boats across the lake in front of Hogwarts.

They boarded the boat, which started rowing itself across the lake and around a large tree. Severus' eyes lay upon the Hogwarts Castle and his breath caught in his throat. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side of the lake was Severus' new home. Its windows sparkled like stars in the night sky, and it had many pointy towers, Severus knew one of them to be Dumbledore's office. The boats stopped at the edge of the lake and the children clambered out, all chatting away to their friends about the beauty and excitement of Hogwarts. The Prefects led the first years though the courtyard, past statues and towers, and they stopped in front of two large oak doors with brass handles. Lily took hold of Severus' hand and squeezed it, as the doors opened, and they took their first step inside the Hogwarts Castle.

They were taken through a corridor and past some class rooms before they came to a halt yet again in front of another set of doors. There was a middle-aged woman standing in front of them. She was wearing deep green robes and a pointy hat, her hands folded in front of her, and small, square spectacles sitting on her nose.

"Welcome," the woman said, her voice hushing the entire mass of children, "to Hogwarts. My name is Professor McGonagall, and I am one of the teachers here at the school. Now when we pass through these doors, you all shall be sorted into one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

Slytherin; that's the house Severus hoped he and Lily would be in.

"Now whilst you are here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points, any rule-breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup. You will be Sorted by the Sorting Hat, you will sit on a stool and I shall place the hat on your head."

Professor McGonagall walked back up to the door, and poked her head in. She returned to the first-years and said, "We are ready for you, you may now enter the Great Hall."

* * *

"Evans, Lily," Professor McGonagall's voice rang through the Great Hall. Lily walked up and sat on the stool. The Hat was placed on her head and began talking to her. Severus crossed his fingers and hoped with all his might.

_Please be in Slytherin. Please be in Slytherin._

The Sorting Hat bellowed, and Lily walked over to the Gryffindor table. Severus' heart sank. They would be separated. Different houses were bad enough, but Gryffindor and Slytherin? Not a chance. Their friendship would be ruined.

"Potter, James," The boy who had pushed Severus on the train was sorted into Gryffindor, Lily greeted him and he beamed at her. A pang of jealousy hit Severus right in the chest.

"Snape, Severus," McGonagall called. Lily immediately stopped talking to James Potter and turned her attention to the front of the Hall. The Sorting Hat was put on his head and began to speak.

"_Ahh… Snape… mother was a Slytherin and father - a Muggle… Hmmm, I see a girl, oh, she's in Gryffindor, is she? Well there's simply no chance of that, you're simply not brave enough. Hufflepuff, no, Ravenclaw, perhaps, I can see your mind's looking good, oh, 'but the girl' you say? Not Gryffindor, Snape. There's no bravery here. But... I can see what you do have; you're cunning and power hungry, and that means…_ SLYTHERIN!" the Hat roared.

The Slytherin table erupted in applause, both the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables clapped out of habit, and the entire Gryffindor table was silent; all except Lily. Severus was glad that she didn't mind that basically every pair of eyes on her table were looking at her. It made him feel special, like she was special. Severus was determined not to let their houses ruin their friendship. He made a promise to himself **and **to Lily. He would not let one thing get in his way of loving the Angel. Not one thing.


End file.
